Both Your Houses
by Emma-Kitty
Summary: Hermione Granger gave up her daughter 13 years ago. Now she must face her again, and deal with all the problems . . . and people . . . that come with her. Formerly known as Heart and Blood, rating may go up HGSS
1. Prolougue

Disclaimer: I don't own any Harry Potter characters that appear in the novels. But I do own the ones that aren't there.  
  
Both Your Houses  
  
Prelude: five years after the Golden Trio's graduation   
  


* * *

  
Hermione's tears made small splashes on the baby's face as she handed her to Harry.  
  
"Take care of her for me. Please," said Hermione.  
  
"I promise," said Harry. "She'll be all right. I won't let anything happen to her."  
  
Hermione only cried harder. She hadn't thought it would be this hard. She hadn't thought anything would be as hard as it was.  
  
"Ginny, you'll take care of her, won't you? You'll make sure Harry does his job?"  
  
"Of course," said Ginny, her own tears falling onto her husband's shoulder. "Thank you, Hermione. I will love her so much. I already do."  
  
"And I can still come and see her, right? This isn't goodbye forever?" Hermione didn't want to let her go.  
  
"Of course you'll see her again. You'll be her Aunt Hermione." Harry stroked her cheek.  
  
Hermione choked out a sob. She wasn't sure she wanted to just be 'Aunt.'  
  
"You should go. You'll miss the train," Ginny said gently.  
  
Hermione nodded. She bent down and kissed the baby Harry held in his arms. "Goodbye, my beautiful Lily. Don't forget me. I'll see you soon."  
  
Drying her tears, Hermione boarded the train, her arms aching to hold her daughter again.  
  


* * *

  
"We have to tell her, Ginny!" said Harry. He wasn't shouting, but his voice conveyed the same urgency as if he had been.  
  
"Why? She's been fine all these years, why drag it all out into the open again? Why uncover all the old wounds and old hurt?"  
  
"Because she deserves to know the truth. Hermione needs her to know. I've seen around Lily, and you have, too. It tears her up that Lily doesn't know."  
  
"Does Lily really want to know?"  
  
Lily Potter chose that moment to make her entrance. "Do I really want to know what?" she said.  
  
Ginny gasped and Harry paled.  
  
"Nothing, sweetie," said Ginny to her daughter. "We were just . . . talking about something . . . that we--"  
  
"Sit down, Lily, there's something we need to tell you," Harry said resolutely.  
  
"What do you need to tell me?" asked Lily, sitting a wooden chair and swinging her short, thirteen-year-old legs.  
  
"You know how we always told you that you were a special girl, out special daughter?" Harry began, carefully choosing his words.  
  
"Harry, don't! We don't have to do this!" Ginny cried.  
  
"Yes, Ginny, we do!" said Harry. "Do you remember, Lily?"  
  
"Yes," said Lily, slightly scared. Her parents never fought. This must be big. "But what does that have to do with telling me something?"  
  
"Lily," Harry swallowed and Ginny tried to swallow a sob, "the reason you're special is because you're adopted."  
  
"I'm adopted?" said Lily. That was the news? She already knew that. Her mother had told her that on her tenth birthday. Not a big deal. "Come on, Dad, can't you come up with something more shocking? I found that out years ago."  
  
Harry managed a thin smile. "Actually, I wasn't finished. Lily, your mother is your Aunt Hermione."  
  
Lily gasped and stood up. That she wasn't ready for, but she had to admit, the conversation she had just overheard was kind of a big hint. "Who's my father?" she asked. She had of course asked when she had been ten, but her parents had refused to tell her. They said no one was quite ready for that yet.  
  
"That's the thing, Lily," said Harry. "About your father. He's, well, he's . . . "  
  
A/N: So, was that evil? I hope you enjoyed it! I'm rewriting this story, tell me what you think! I can't promise a swift update, but those of you who read Heart and Blood should know who the father is. Review please! 


	2. Lily's Father

Chapter 2  
  
"He's none of our business, Harry," said Ginny forcefully. "Hermione can tell her when she arrives."  
  
"Aunt Hermione is coming?" Lily asked. She had always had a close relationship with her 'aunt,' but the woman was always giving her funny looks; although knowing that Hermione was actually her mother made that a lot easier to understand.  
  
"Yes," said Harry. "She's coming to apprentice with Professor Snape while she's working on her Potions certification. The Aurors need someone with that specialty."  
  
Lily nodded. "I'm glad I will be able to see her. I have lots of questions."  
  
"I'm sure you do," said Harry. A long silence followed. No one could think of anything to say.  
  
"I'm going for a walk," said Ginny. She left the father and daughter sitting in the living room.  
  
"What's going on, Dad? I've never seen mum so upset. Not even when Uncle George died."  
  
"Lily," said Harry carefully. "Your mother has been through some hard times. She's lost so much. I don't know if she could stand to lose you."  
  
Lily got up from her chair and hugged her father. "You won't lose me, Dad. You and mum are my parents, even if Aunt Hermione is the one who gave birth to me."  
  
Harry smiled and kissed his daughter on the forehead. "I know that, darling. I'm just not sure your mum does."  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione was shaking as she got off the train. All these years. She hadn't seen her for three years. Now she was going to face her again. Hermione wasn't sure she could do it. But she knew she had to.  
  
Not only was she going to face Lily, but she was also going to face him. He still didn't know about her. Did he even care? How would she tell him? Should she tell him? Well of course she should, the man at the very least deserved to know he had a child. He deserved much more than that, but it was all Hermione could think to give him. After all, it had been her who'd done the leaving, her who hadn't told him and her who had hidden her from him. But now he would finally know. And just as soon as her legs would stop shaking, she would go tell both of them.  
  
* * *  
  
Lily was sitting in her parents' small living quarters when a knock came from the portrait covering the entrance to the Potter family rooms.  
  
"Come in," called Lily.  
  
"Hello, Lily," said Hermione stiffly.  
  
Lily stood up immediately. She'd been expecting a friend or one of her father's colleagues, but not Hermione.  
  
"Hello, Aunt Hermione," she said. "Although, I guess you're not really my aunt, are you?"  
  
"I was never your aunt by blood, Lily, you know that. I guess we're just related in a different way than we thought."  
  
"You guess?" said Lily. "You don't know?" Lily wasn't being very nice, but she didn't care.  
  
"I'm sorry, Lily," said Hermione. "I shouldn't have lied to you. I shouldn't have lied to anyone."  
  
"Damn straight," said Lily. Why shouldn't she be angry? A woman she'd trusted with her most intimate secrets, a woman she was closer to than her own mother had lied to her for thirteen years. She had every right to be angry.  
  
"I know you're mad, but does that mean we can't discuss this like civilized people?" asked Hermione. She felt drained. She hadn't been expecting this, but she supposed she should have been.  
  
"Why should we discuss it like civilized people? You haven't been very civilized to me. Lying isn't something civilized people do."  
  
"Everyone makes mistakes, Lily," said Hermione quietly. "Some are just harder to correct than others."  
  
They stood in silence a moment. "Was I a mistake?"  
  
Hermione looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Is that why you gave me up? You didn't want to face a mistake that you made while you were young and stupid?"  
  
"No," said Hermione. "I gave you to your parents because I knew they would give you a better life than I could. I wanted to do big things; I wanted to see the world. I wanted you to be happy. I knew you would be with a vagabond for a mother."  
  
"Maybe I wouldn't have been happy with you, but that doesn't mean you had to lie to me for thirteen years."  
  
"Maybe I thought lying was the best thing for you. I wanted you to be Harry and Ginny's daughter. You couldn't be that if you still thought I was your mother."  
  
"So you don't even want to be my mother now? Did you ever love me? Do you love me now?"  
  
"Don't you ever say that to me! I loved you more than you can possibly know. I love you still. I loved you so much that I gave you parents who could care for you and dote on you the way you deserve. How can you think I didn't love you?"  
  
"It's hard to think someone loves you when they won't tell you the truth."  
  
"I'm telling you the truth now."  
  
Lily stared at Hermione and Hermione stared at her.  
  
"Well, I guess this is where we're at," said Lily.  
  
"I guess it is. Please just listen to me," said Hermione.  
  
Lily thought a minute. "I'm listening."  
  
"When I was a few years out of Hogwarts, I was in a relationship. We were very serious, and I honestly thought we were going to get married. But I should have known better. He wasn't exactly the marrying kind," Hermione smiled sardonically. "He did some very delicate work and it wouldn't allow him to commit to anything with me. So I left; went to work for the Ministry found my love in work. It wasn't until two months after we broke up that I found out I was pregnant. I went to live with Harry and Ginny. Ron was in America, doing some Auror thing. I stayed with them until you were born, then I left you with them while I went to a job in Russia. I never told him about you. As far as I know, he still has no idea."  
  
Lily sat in silence. "Who is he?"  
  
Hermione sighed. "Please don't ask me that, Lily," she said. "I'm not sure I'm ready to answer."  
  
"Well you better get ready because I'm asking," Lily's black eyes flashed.  
  
"Lily, he doesn't even know," said Hermione desperately.  
  
"Then we can tell him together. Please don't hide the truth from me anymore," said Lily, her voice and demeanor softening.  
  
"All right," said Hermione, defeated. "Lily, your father is Professor Severus Snape."  
  
A/N: K, what did you think? Sorry it took so long to update, but I have three other stories I'm working on. Don't expect more frequent updates; this story is hard to find inspiration for. Review and tell me what you think, please! Thanks for reading! 


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